5 months later, we celebrate the 100th musical post by referring to the name of the blog. Tannu Tuva was the name used in the early 20th century for the region currently known as the Tuvan Republic, which now forms part of the Russian Federation. Until very recently, little was known about this country. Far, far away, in the mountains of Siberia, it was (and is) almost as hard to reach as it was for news to get out! Given the miracles of internet, nowadays we can all find out about the country at the click of a mouse, although it’s still hard to physically travel there. I’m afraid I’m no expert but here are a few things which have caught my eye (if anyone can correct or add info, please do).

At different times throughout its history, Tuva has been independent or formed part of Mongolia, China, or the Soviet Union/Russia, with varying states of autonomy. From 1921 to 1944 it was an independent state (though under the watchful eye of the Soviets) known as Tannu Tuva. In 1944 it “requested” to join the USSR and now has a certain degree of political autonomy within the Russian Federation, although some citizens would like it to become independent once more. However, its survival as a small free nation stuck between China and Russia would be very difficult to guarantee. Also, its economical survival seems to depend, to a certain degree, on help and investment from Moscow. There have been attempts to industrialize Tuva, which now exist alongside subsistence farming and goat/cattle herding as a way to make ends meet for many Tuvans. All in all, a mixture of tradition and industry using the resources found there.It has a population of 310,000 living in an area five times that of Catalonia (with a population of 7 million).75% of the population is Tuvan in origin and speak Tuvan, while 20% are Russian.It is known as the Country of Rivers – there are over 9,000!Its people are keen (perhaps too keen) drinkers of araka, an alcoholic drink made from sour milk.To enter Tuva, apparently there are three roads, a small airport, but no train-line.One of the most interesting cultural aspects of Tuva is khoomei -throat singing. This is an amazing technique where the singers actually sing different musical notes at the same time! I can’t really explain how it is done, but here are three examples ....